yep, it's a tuna can

This is a true upcycle project.  Not the kind of upcycle project where you have to scour flea markets and tag sales for weeks to find the perfect items.  More like the kind of upcycle project where you grab a bunch of really old clothespins from your growing collection, scrub out the tuna can your husband just ate out of, and get to work.  

I first spotted the idea here, and put my own spin on it.  I dug into my stash of tiny, leftover scraps of beautiful papers and vintage maps, covering both sides of the pin so it would look great from all angles.  

I also covered the can, leaving just the lip uncovered for a little bit of metal.

it's a vase!

no, it's a pencil cup!

\

or a candle holder!

I love the versatility, and using it as a candle holder is especially nice because of the way the light comes through the clothespins.  You'll have to take my word for it (or make your own and see for yourself!), because I am a crappy photographer.  Yes, even after all of those super duper helpful tips I read about how to photograph your crafts, I still suck.  

pot stamping

It's "p" week at Gus' preschool, so what could be better than planting pansies in a pot for some possums?  It was especially fun to mix up all of my different alphabet stamps.  Hopefully it doesn't look to ransom note-y....

kitchen stool makeover

This stool had had it.  The wood was scratched, the caning was shot.  We cut the caning out, painted the wood to match the cabinets, ordered some beautiful chocolate brown shaker tape from  here, and wove.  Super easy, really beautiful, and a good reuse of a perfectly good stool that needed a makeover.

travel journals

I loved these so much the first time I made them, I made a bunch more and am sending them off to sticks and bricks tomorrow.

These are made from almost entirely recycled materials:  the cardboard from hubby's bike race numbers, and buttons and maps collected from various garage and estate sales.  Only the baker's twine is new, but let's pretend it's from an auction of old bakery supplies.  Because it could be.  Oh, and the pretty paper.  But they are leftover scraps, so that's okay.

Sewing these by hand is not difficult, but takes a little elbow grease to get through all of the layers of paper (I used 10 full sheets, for 20 total pages).  The perfect size to tuck in your ruck sack and take with you on vacation.  Or, use it like I do:  jot down creative ideas for later exploration.

sketch book?

Toronto!

cue the beach boys music

business card holders headed to sticks and bricks

I am officially obsessed with The Trading Post in South Amherst. Not only do they have the best stuff at amazing prices, but they are so super nice to Gus.  

This was my first score - all local yardsticks - the mother load!

And here's what they've become!  Snap 'em up at sticks and bricks today! 

 

collegiate bike racing

It's not often that my business and my husband's collide:  he does race results for bike races. However, he's in charge of all of the numbers for the collegiate bike races in New England and the Mid-Atlantic...

...and so there's a lot of cardboard left over...

...which is where I come in.

I found a great tutorial for mini notebooks, and put a few twists on it, using vintage maps

a scrap of decoupage paper, a vintage-y rubber stamp

baker's twine and a fabulous salvaged button from my collection.

I also got to use my 2 favorite features of my new, gorgeous paper cutter.

score!

rounded corners!

Creme de la craft's tutorial is terrific, so if you're interested in doing this fun and easy project, go there.  I add just one suggestion:  if you prick your finger so hard it bleeds, put a band-aid on so you don't bleed on your nice white paper.  Also, it's easier to complete this project without a large cat on your lap:

That's right, folks, you can always come here for your highly technical craft tips.

Here's the finished product!

paint chips, GO!

I've been excited about paint chips for many years, and a quick google search (paintchips, diy, repurpose) reveals that I am in excellent company.  I came across today's creation, paint chip matchbook notebooks, on two great blogs (here and here), both of which provide excellent tutorials.  

I added two twists.  Instead of using recycled white paper (which really, as a lawyer, I should be required to do, given how many trees I kill daily), I used pretty paper scraps that I've been hoarding over the years.

Then, instead of sewing or stapling the book shut, I used washi tape, which is both a lovely excuse to use the gorgeous tape I treated myself to, and a way to keep the paper secure without it ripping when you take it out of the book (I'm particular about these kinds of things, see reference to my other profession, above).

gorgeous washi tape

gorgeous washi tape
on Goodwill vase

I'd love to tell you that all the paint chips were left over from various paint jobs around the house (like every other blogger dutifully reports), but instead, I'm going to be honest.  Several years ago, my fellow crafter buddy and I went to town at the big box hardware store (I'd never do this at my local) in advance of our annual holiday craft day, and these are (some of) the leftovers.  So in that sense, they are most certainly recycled.

So will Benny Moore (whose paint I did, in fact, use in my office last year) appreciate my creative upcycling of his paint chips, or will I get a cease and desist letter?  Unclear.

One tip:  cut the washi tape ever so slightly on either side at the top so the chip slides in nicely.  Other than that, it's really as easy and fun as it seems.  I did them all while Gus was napping.  Paint chips, go!